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Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii)
Photo: Fuoco Fatuo, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 3 countries tree

Bosnian pine

Pinus heldreichii

Family: Pinaceae

On our map this plant appears in 3 countries and ranks highest in: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo.

A long-lived conifer with a dense, conical crown and bark cracked into grey, polygonal plates resembling snakeskin. Its stiff, dark green needles grow in pairs, and young cones are purplish-blue. It grows on limestone rocks high in the mountains, often forming the upper treeline. Some specimens in the Balkans are over a thousand years old and rank among the oldest trees in Europe.

Description from: Bosnia & Herzegovina.

More: Wikipedia (en) Wikipedia (pl) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. Bosnia & Herzegovina no. 2 of 5 native

    The species’ very name ties it to Bosnia – the gnarled munikas on the ridges of Herzegovina’s mountains are a symbol of the country’s wild highlands and a key feature of Blidinje Nature Park.

  2. Bulgaria no. 4 of 8 native

    The Baikushev pine in Pirin National Park near Bansko, around 1,300 years old, is Bulgaria’s most famous tree, visited by thousands of tourists. Pirin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the species’ main stronghold in the country.

  3. Kosovo no. 5 of 5 native

    In Kosovo the Bosnian pine is one of the symbols of the wild nature of the Accursed Mountains – its gnarled silhouettes on the rocks above the Rugova Gorge are a favourite subject for photographs of the region.